The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The majority of the value of a cotton crop is in the cotton lint. Therefore, the determination of the projected lint yield for a cotton crop grown using a particular seed or seed type is very beneficial to seed breeders and ultimately the cotton farmers.
Typically, to determine projected lint yield for various types of cotton seeds (e.g. different varieties), seed breeders grow test plots using the various different types of seed. Subsamples of cotton from each test plot are then harvested, weighed and the lint is separated from the seed. The resulting lint is then weighed and a percentage of lint relative to the amount of seed cotton in each subsample is calculated and used to determine the lint yield for each subsample and hence, for each seed type. Typically, the lint is separated from the seed using a mechanical means such as a cotton gin.
Furthermore, researchers desiring to improve the cotton crop also commonly gather information about the seeds themselves. To collect data about seed quality characteristics like seed size, volume, shape, mass, germination potential, and/or the presence and/or extent of disease and/or damage, present methods require that samples of seed cotton are ginned first to remove the surrounding lint so that the seeds can be adequately analyzed.
Ginning cotton is a laborious, time and cost intensive process, it poses various safety hazards, and the amount of lint yielded can vary from cotton gin to cotton gin and from operator to operator due to sample loss and procedural inconsistencies.